Life in Another World as a Maid Mage
Volume 1 - Daily Life of A Maid Mage
018 – Fighting among comrades is not acceptable (3)
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Author's Note: A fragment of Shiori's past. It is still a bit of a painful story.
I said goodbye to the owner of a frequented grocery store where I stopped to order sundries for my trip, and started walking toward the east gate. In this season, deep in autumn, the lingonberries
I exchanged greetings with the female gate guard knight, who was a familiar face, and walked along the roadway in the nice autumn weather. I stopped in an area of the forest dotted with clusters of various berries and deployed my survey magic. There should be relatively little danger in the forest, and many people came to pick berries and mushrooms, but just in case. It should not always be the case that you wouldn't run into any kind of monster or bandits, hence, as a precaution. I was aware that I'm not a very strong fighter, so I would always do this when I go out of town to a place with few people.
— I had been sensing a gaze on me since before I left town, so I was very careful. I couldn't help feeling as if someone had been watching me all these days.
A short time after entering the small path leading into the forest, I caught a three presence reaction at the edge of my survey magic. They seemed to be coming towards us while maintaining a certain distance. Then, a new reaction. This one - were four presences? This one was also approaching me, as if trailing the three previous reactions.
"I guess it's…"
So far, Rurie didn't show any noticeable reaction, who was walking in an amorphous viscous mucus shape, proper of a slime, without hesitation when no one was looking. If Rurie didn't feel bothered, there should be no problem.
At least for now.
It still felt somewhat uncomfortable to feel a soft enticing-like gaze.
On the other side of the bushes by the side of the path, a clearing came into view. It was a grove of lingonberries.
"Oh, there are still many."
I turned my gaze in the direction of the presence for a moment. It seemed like it would be a little while before they would make themselves known. I crouched down and began to rake through the peculiar leaves, which were a little thick and glossy, and began to pick the red, lustrous lingonberries. A red mound gradually formed in the container I brought with me.
(…it's about time?)
The reaction from the three presence was approaching very close. Rurie returned to its usual bun shape and gazed in that direction. I also stood up and looked in that direction. I heard a low voice whispering behind the bushes. Further beyond that, the reaction of the four presences also seemed to stop in place as they moved to a slightly different position.
Suddenly, Rurie twitched. It seemed to be worried about the four presences at the back. However, it quickly returned to her original position.
With a crunch sound, the young girls peeked their heads out from the side bushes.
(Oh, it's going to be a hassle)
I recognized the girls who were looking at me with a disgusted smile, ruining their beautiful faces. They were the girls who joined the guild about a year ago. I heard that they had only recently been promoted to C-rank. Certainly, it was fast for a party of three to be promoted to C-rank within a year, yet their colleagues had been complaining that their cheeky attitude had become noticeable recently. There were rumors that they didn't listen to their seniors' complaints; on the contrary, they began to give advice and guidance to their seniors, or that they were picky about their work and annoyed the guild staff.
I noticed that they were looking at me with less-than-favorable, degrading eyes when I saw them in the guild. I wondered if the gaze I had been feeling lately was theirs.
A girl dressed as a mage, just like myself, opened her mouth.
"You did well to notice. Even if rotten, you are still a B-rank old maiden"
The other girls also chuckled and made mocking noises.
(No, you would usually notice.)
I was taken back by the girls' taunting laugh while a seriously surprised expression showed on their faces. Did they think I wasn't aware of them?
I knew that there were quite a few people who looked down on those with rear-guard positions, especially supporting roles, marking them as incompetents. In fact, myself had gone through many bad experiences. That said, they were being too foolish.
Although it was difficult for newcomers to detect presences, usually by the time they reach D rank they should be able to do it. Albeit only vaguely, to the extent that only they could feel it.
It would be indeed difficult to do it in a crowded city unless you were very skilled, but once you were out of the city, you would be able to sense a presence in the form of a scent, a noise, or a faint sense of discomfort mixed in with the surrounding scenery. It was something that you could learn by accumulating experience from completing quests outside the city many times.
"It's my personal opinion, but you'll learn it faster if you're solo than if you're in a party. Maybe it's because of the fact that you are more alert when you have only yourself to rely on"
I recalled Zach saying something like that. Indeed, even myself who was born and raised in a peaceful country, and completely at ease, have become able to detect presences. However, I was aware that I was weak, so I tried to expand my range of security through trial and error with magic so that I would reliably notice the approach of other parties.
"…Than if you're in a party…"
I remembered a fragment of Zack's words. Could it be that these girls were promoted without learning to detect presences? They were conceited in their initial high ability and let down their guard by acting in parties, not learning the basic skills that would be necessary in protecting themselves. Apparently, some people were like that occasionally.
"It seems like I misunderstood my own strength, because I didn't experience any failure by good fortune."
Come to think of it, Nadia had said something like that.
"Do you need something?"
I somewhat dumbfounded asked the girls. Maybe they didn't like the question, the girls got a disgusted look on their faces.
"It's just that you seem to be on a roll lately."
"We are a little skeptical that Miss Old Maid is B-ranked. She has almost no magical power even though she is a mage. What she is doing is more akin to a maid, right? That's why B rank is strange."
— I had almost no magic power. I was bitterly annoyed at my weakness being exposed, the last thing I wanted was for it to be known, but I didn't show it on my face. From the beginning, I was told that I'm a foreigner, a Japanese, whose expressions were difficult to understand. It was probably not even noticed. And I thought I would be mature enough to not be seriously offended at a young girl… who thought that "Old maiden" was a cuss word.
"… So, what can I do for you specifically?"
They had followed me to such an isolated place. As far as I was concerned, they must be up to no good. The girls, who might have been expecting me to be frightened or angry, finally became frustrated when I replied in a calm voice.
"I don't know! Has her brain gone senile because she's an old maiden?"
"We'll see if she really deserves a B rank!"
The spellsword girl and the archer girl put their hands on their weapons with a teasing gesture. The mage girl thrusted her staff in front of me threatening me.
(How could they show their intent to attack when there might be witnesses? After all, they were not even aware of their presence?)
Although I was amazed at the girls' indiscrete behavior, I stiffened myself in spite of the obvious threats. There was no movement from the four presences in the back. It didn't seem like they had any intention of helping me, but that didn't mean that I felt any malicious intent. Maybe, it was possible that they were monitoring those girls who had grown up lately and who were getting into more and more disputes with their colleagues.
Now, what to do … to get out of this situation?
"No, thank you. I don't think I can be evaluated fairly by you people who are obviously harboring wicked intentions. In the first place, you know that I am a non-combatant. When three combatants take on one non-combatant, you can't complain even if you are misunderstood to have harmful intentions. I'm sure you're aware that the guild rules prohibit private fights between adventurers."
They wouldn't listen to me, but I did try to warn them. And I also calculated that this warning would probably provoke them. I was sure they would become enraged when the person whom they look down upon as incompetent would not take their provocation, and on the contrary, would not even make a move, but rather would reply admonishingly. These inexperienced girls, who were foolishly confident in their own abilities, would surely take on this provocation. If it comes to a confrontation, I would certainly lose even one-on-one. However, if they were willing to go according to my plan, then I would have a chance to win. This is because people who are upset and unable to make calm judgments are more susceptible to the illusion magic that I'm good at.
As expected, the girls became enraged. The spell-sword girl pulled out her sword in anger; the archer and the mage also pointed their weapons at me. A killing intent. At that moment, Rurie turned red. In response to the obvious killing intent, she became ready for battle.
In this case, the first one to point a weapon loses. In a situation where there were witnesses, their actions violated the guild's rules. There was movement from the four presences that seemed to be listening in the back; a slight fluctuation in magic power. Possibly, they were also preparing to fight over there. This was almost certain. After all, the ones being watched were still the girls. The fact that they didn't dare to hide their presence may be to indicate that they had no intentions to harm me.
"You are being cheeky for a maid who can't even fight!"
"Anyway, didn't Zach promote you to the next level because you were making eyes at him? Even Clemens seems to get along with you! You're getting senior adventurers to sweeten your assessment by flirting!"
"You're even making eyes at Alex these days! This old maiden's habit is disgusting even if she were young! "
The furious girls began to curse. For some reason, mentioning men's names. Shiori guessed.
It was jealousy involving men. Certainly they are good men. There are many women who aimed to become their lover because they are all single and are well-groomed senior adventurers.
However, I am close to them because we are close in rank and we have many opportunities to take jobs together. Of course, the more you worked with them, the closer you got to them.
Besides, I couldn't condone if they talked badly about them, if only they had talked about myself alone. These were the kind of people who picked up such an unknown woman and took care of me, with everything they had, so that I could make a living. However, they were hard on themselves and others about their work. No matter how trivial the task, they took it seriously and always achieved good results. They would not reprimand the younger generation when they failed, but they were merciless in their reprimands to those who cut corners and did inadequate work. That was because they were proud of this job.
In addition, many sizable scars could be seen on their arms, peeking through the cuffs; and, occasionally could be seen on their chests through the gaps of the collar. I was sure there were many other scars in places that couldn't be seen. It was known that the journey to reach that position was not a smooth one. The people who stood in that place after all that effort, could be imitated by a woman using her eyes to easily add to her reputation?
"Take that back"
It was unpleasant.
"Those people are not so cheap to be fooled by flirting. Don't you understand? You just disgraced those people indirectly by trying to offend me."
I was uncomfortable.
The girls may have not noticed that they made a derogatory statement.
"Those people take pride in their work. I'm proud to do my job. People like you who can look down on others, without hesitation, are not allowed to disgrace them."
People who have reached this level even though they never had to go through any hardships, who were obsessed with pointless harassment, criticizing others.
– No, they are wrong. This anger is not though.
Shiori poured all of her own anger into her magical power. It propagated through the stretched web of magic with a clear intention to attack.
The girls flinched. The aggressive atmosphere that filled the area could even be called murderous, was unsettling.
(If so, as you wish I'll let you see with your own eyes whether if I'm worthy of B-rank)
The graphical image, which materialized based on the magical net spread out around, unfolded three-dimensionally.
Crack. The ground beneath my feet cracked and pebbles and leaves flew off. Branches of the surrounding trees snapped and flew off with a disturbing sound. My hair tie broke off, and the rage-filled force swirling around me sent my black hair soaring.
The audible, three-dimensional image of the "Angry torrent" drawn in my brain worked extraordinary on the girls.
"Eep"
The spell-sword girl let out a shrill squeal. The archer girl, half confused, pointed her half drawn bow at me. I knew that if it was released, I wouldn't get out of it scotch free. But it didn't matter now. I wanted to remind them of this feeling I had now.
The jet black magic enclouding her clung to the girls as if entangling them.
"…!"
The mage girl dropped to her knees and fell on her ass on the spot. Slowly, something warm flowed out from between her legs, creating a stain on the ground. As if on cue, the other girls let out an inaudible scream and ran off.
"No … Wait … Hey … Hold on … Heey!"
The mage who was left behind crawled away from the Shiori. Somehow, she managed to get up from her crawling position and ran away with her wet clothes.
– It was stupefying. She was so afraid of the unexpected counterattack of a woman she had looked down upon as far inferior, she fled without shame or remorse.
"… I'm glad I was their opponent."
If it had been a monster or malicious person, they would have already been dead at this point.
After making sure that the girls were completely out of sight, I lifted the illusion magic. The scenery around me was the usual peaceful forest, as if nothing had happened.
Rurie also lifted her attack color, she quivered.
"Like I thought, it seems they were the type of people who are prone to illusions. The type of people who are overconfident in themselves, tend to neglect threat counter measurements. Because of their overwhelming lack of knowledge about all kinds of dangers, they can't anticipate the risks. It's amusing how they were fooled."
Rurie bounced in agreement.
At the time when they had just been promoted to C rank from D rank, and outgrew their rookie status. There were some people who, like those girls, would get carried away and started to take their work and their seniors lightly. This would be the time they become too comfortable with life as an adventurer and start to let down their guard. As a result of getting carried away and neglecting to take precautions against dangers, many adventurers unexpectedly lost their lives, killed by low-ranking monsters or trivial traps.
(– Getting carried away, huh?)
I bit my lip.
"… But, I wonder if I should listen to their words that I seem to be on a roll lately, even the cheeky part"
Maybe I was getting arrogant and snarky somewhere along the line.
No. Wrong. Those weren't the kind of words that were thrown at me.
"It seem you are on a roll"
"A maid who can't even fight!"
"You're sweeting your assessment by flirting!"
Those words were not meant to admonish, they were clearly meant only to hurt. But if I was getting carried away, what about those girls?
Ah, that's right. I was angry at those girls for saying that, and not only because they were dissing people close to me. The truth was, I was just frustrated that I was being undermined. I was terribly disappointed that they ignored all of the hard work and effort I had made to come this far, and just chastised me for not liking me.
– A wave of gloom welled up in my chest, causing a burning pain.
I pressed down on my chest.
(– Will you please hurry up and leave?)
Some of the presences were lingering nearby, watching. I didn't know who they were, but I didn't want anyone to see me. I didn't want anyone to see me in such a dark state of mind.
As if they sensed my thoughts, one by one, the presences quietly left. The last remaining presence that stayed until the end, also left.
And after a while. The four presences disappeared outside the range of the survey magic net.
Thank goodness
Thankful for the fact that they didn't show themselves, and that they didn't look any further, Shiori collapsed on the spot.
"You have almost no magic power at all."
"You're a cheeky maid."
The words those girls had said were the same words of disdain thrown by those who didn't like her, and those she once thought of as friends.
Thrown out of Japan (My homeland), a place where I had never been inconvenienced in any way, into a strange world with nothing but my body. Unlike the protagonist (Heroine) of a story, I didn't have a role to play, I didn't have a great power given to me, I didn't understand the language , I knew no one, I had to start my life here from scratch.
I desperately worked hard to learn the language so I could fit in this world. I read every book I could find, to accumulate knowledge that I could use at any time, while skimping on eating or sleeping.
At first, I tried to find a job somewhere. However, even in Toris, where there were many cheerful and good-natured people, there was no place that would easily hire me because of my foreign appearance, which was not typical of neighboring countries, and my unknown identity. Even though I had no trouble with everyday conversation, my somewhat awkward language skills were sometimes shunned as a hindrance to serious business.
It was unavoidable that I became an adventurer, something I didn't think I could do as a peaceful person. However, I couldn't use a sword nor a bow, and my magic power, that I had been relying on, was too weak to be of any use in battle. That was the reason I had worked so hard to hone my skills.
I picked herbs, searched for lost items, helped find lost children, and did shopping on people's behalf. The reason I had been accepting all sorts of humble and modest quests, that even novice adventurers would avoid, was because I wanted to somehow make myself accepted in this city of Toris.
Based on the knowledge I had and the newly acquired knowledge, I devised my own magic with ingenuity and continued to make bloody efforts. I thought I had earned a certain amount of recognition.
But still…
It was not rare for people to look harshly at logistical supporters who were not strong enough to fight. No matter how hard they worked, they would not be appreciated as much as those in professions that produced tangible results, such as swordsmen and offensive mages. In fact, they were often not appreciated but criticized. Although it was called a maid mage, in reality, it was just a maid who could use a bit of magic. I could understand what they were saying.
But even so.
"Don't get carried away."
I was disappointed that I couldn't carry my own weight, and when I worked hard and got results, I was called 'cheeky'. They said that I earned my reputation by cheating.
"… What on earth do they want me to do?"
No matter what I did or didn't do, I would always be hurt by demeaning words.
"… What do you know about me?"
Could those who easily gain recognition understand this pain? Could they understand this regret that you would be disappointed no matter how much effort you put in and the results you achieve? Could they understand the pain of being thrown out on your own, forced to take on unfamiliar jobs, to work tirelessly and struggling to survive this far?
"…Hmm, gu…"
A sob escaped.
"…Uh…Uh"
With my hands still on the ground, I clawed at the earth. My fingertips were hurt and bled. But it wasn't much of a pain. It was nothing compared to the anger, frustration, and heartbreaking sorrow that were cutting my body.
"…Uhaaaaaaaaa!!!'
Thinking about the world she had left behind, thinking about herself who didn't know how to return, thinking about the four years that she had been struggling to live, and thinking of herself on that day when she was abandoned as useless, Shiori wailed.
The wailing of her soul cut through the tranquil air of the forest.
– The lapis lazuli body, filled with a gentle color, quietly snuggled up close.
Dusk.
As the number of people leaving the city dwindled and people hurrying home were being drawn into the gates, Shiori walked slowly down the street, feeling lazy due to feeling worn out from crying.
It was completely late. She cried until she was satisfied, then spent time in the forest until her puffy face settled down, by then the sky was already reddish brown. The gate closing time was near. She hurried to the city.
Suddenly, she stopped when she spotted a familiar figure of a man at the entrance of the east gate. His arms were crossed and pacing back and forth, frustrated and restless; the knights of the guard looked at him suspiciously.
The man looked up and saw her. Their eyes met.
"…Shiori!"
Alex noticed Shiori and came running up to her.
"Shiori"
He tried to say something, but seemed unable to speak, and held his tongue. His hand stretched out unreservedly and he gently placed on her head. He stroked her head gently as they stood there.
"… Mr. Alex?"
Shiori eyes widened at the unexpected gesture. She was long past the age where she would be happy to be stroked on her head, but she squinted at the warmth of it.
Oh, I see.
Shiori thought.
He was probably the one who was watching over her when she was entangled with the girls earlier. And he was the one who walked away without seeing her cry in that unsightly manner. That was why he was waiting for her here, worrying about her like this.
She didn't know why he cared for her like this, but for now she wanted to entrust herself to the warmth of his large hand caressing her head.
"… Let's go home. The gates are about to close."
"… Yes"
The hand that was stroking her stropped and stretched out toward her directly to her. She laid her own hand on it, and his hand gently clenched. While holding his hand, she started walking toward the city.
The hand holding hers was still warm.
Author's Note: There is a difference between the way Shiori is seen by her colleagues and the actual Shiori.
Some of her actions, which are favorably evaluated by those close to her, are in fact the result of her desperation.
Nadia, from a woman to a woman, is very sensitive to the subtleties of Shiori's heart.
There are quite a few people who are concerned about the following point, so I would like to share some of my plans for the future.
- Shiori's past (almost nothing about her hometown. The story after coming to Strydia)
- Rurie's past (From the time it spawned until it meets Shiori. It would be nice if I can make it as hard-boiled
[2] TL Note: hard boiled… I have no idea what that means but it is a popular expression in Japan, from urban I got this "An adjective describing a person that is seemingly unfazed by anything. Derived from the Hong Kong movie Hard Boiled directed by John Woo." Seems good explanation as any. as Rurie wants) - Alex's past (his birth and upbringing and how he became an adventurer. Story of his family. About his "job" in the neighboring country).
- Zack's past (his birth and upbringing and how he became an adventurer. Story of his family. The story of how he and Alex met.)
Due to the structure of the story, I don't plan to release the above four points early. Like this time, I plan to write a part of the story in fragments and the rest will be written firmly in the middle to the latter half of the story. Thankfully, there are many people who are looking forward to this story, so please be patient and read it.
[1] TL Note: (コケモモ – kokemomo) this is an Asian berry… I'm unsure of the correct name in English for it so I'm adding a picture.
[2]TL Note: hard boiled… I have no idea what that means but it is a popular expression in Japan, from urban I got this "An adjective describing a person that is seemingly unfazed by anything. Derived from the Hong Kong movie Hard Boiled directed by John Woo." Seems good explanation as any.